


Creation's Creation Creates

by Wanderlust_Novadust



Category: The Evil Within (Video Game)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Eye Trauma, Gore, Medical, Medical Examination, Mildly Canon Divergent, Mildly Off-Canon, One-Shot, Overly poetic titles, Typical Ruben Bullshit, What-If, What-if Scenario, eye gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:01:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24476908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wanderlust_Novadust/pseuds/Wanderlust_Novadust
Summary: Ruben, in the background of Union, has an experiment to run. Stefano just so happens to be the subject he plucked from them.
Kudos: 9





	Creation's Creation Creates

**Author's Note:**

> Consider this kinda a "what-if" scenario where Ruben gave Stefano the eye powers. I wrote this while half out of it, boyfriend playing TEW2 and desperately wanting to write Ruben and Stefano. Not super interested in criticism on this since it was just some quickie shit I wrote.

He was terribly cold when he woke up. There wasn't enough blood in him for him to be able to spit poetry about how it all looked, or how any of it felt. All he was left with were the basics.

Stefano was most certainly in a metal table. He was strapped to it with leather; his wrist, his ankles, his chest... Whoever set this all up clearly didn't want Stefano up and about. It's not as though it would have been easy to get around anyway. The room felt half lit. Stefano couldn't tell if it made him tired, or if he was just tired because of how light headed he was.

"Ah. You're awake."

The shadow who stepped into the room held a tape recorder. If it was on or not was anyone's guess. Stefano would've made eye contact if he could actually see where the shadow's eyes were.

He didn't have much in him, so he said what he could. "And you are?"

"Unimportant."

Stefano scoffed, almost entertained. It didn't matter if he knew what this hooded figure meant, it was funny enough to him--high off blood loss and head full of cotton.

"Subject has already had blood drawn for testing. Nothing unusual in his system. A bit lacking in iron..."

Well. That explained a lot.

"But overall healthy."

If he could have bit or barked, he would. The shadow moved away, pulling over a table and tray topped with all sorts of things. All tools, he imagined. Shiny and new, he bet. Deadly, too.

"Beginning examination."

Even in his haze, Stefano didn't like the sound of that. He tugged half heartedly at the restraints, wishing for a moment his captor had not been so well prepared. He didn't notice that this shadow had crept over until he opened his eye and looked up.

It towered over him like this. It leaned in slowly, holding what Stefano was going to assume was a scalpel. Between the way his vision swam and the dark, all he knew was that it was sharp, and it was headed right for his blinded eye.

He at least had the sense to move his head, but the action felt like it slid. The shadow's free hand reached out and easily took him by the forehead, repositioning his head. Stefano grunted with the effort, but he couldn't wrench himself away.

"Stop! Stop, stop, stop...!"

The shadow made no comment. Its hand held Stefano in place, and the blade came too close. He had to stay still, even if just so he won't get the other eye taken out. There was pause as this mystery doctor filled the empty air with chatter.

"The wound appears to have scabbed over... The eye is sealed shut, without me opening it."

And with that, Stefano felt it. The knife dug under, and ripped his eye socket open in a single, swift motion. Without the brainpower to stop himself, Stefano whimpered in something just under loud enough to be considered a scream. Blood graced his skin, trickling down the side of his head while tears pricked at his still very uninjured eye.

"The eye was absolutely destroyed."

The shadow bent closer, still holding him still. It was only then that Stefano noticed the tape recorder on the table, next to his good eye. Did he want to record his agony? Was he also a master of the art of pain? He'd be offended at being sullied if it weren't for the possibility this man was too an artist.

"Seems as though it was damaged with something sharp... Likely, it stabbed into the eye, messily cutting in two."

The sharp implement was set aside, and Stefano took that as the okay to resume struggling. It was pointless. The restraints held him firmly in place, and the shadow's hand was equally as unwavering--if not even stronger. It shined a light in his injured eye as he writhed, earning a pained whimper as his vision adjusted. At least it wasn't direct into his sight.

"Not all of the metal shards were removed... small pieces are still inside. Whoever was treating him likely left them due to doubt that the fragments would harm recovery."

The flashlight turned off, and Stefano was almost glad as he heard it set down. He wanted to spit in this shadow's face just as much as he wanted to confirm its intentions. Perhaps they could come to an agreement even, that Stefano should not be a part of its next exhibit.

"What exactly are you recording all this for?"

It grunted, annoyed. Stefano saw the shape of what he guessed were tweezers, a gloved hand coming to keep his bleeding eyelids open.

"You cannot expect me to not be curious."

"I'm studying you," it said in as simple a tone as it had been recounting the details of Stefano's eye.

"For what purpose," he asked, more polite than he wanted to be.

"You're a nosey one."

"Perhaps," Stefano said, almost sounding smug. Even as the tweezers reached in and picked out what he assumed to be those shards this man of science mentioned, he managed to maintain an outer layer of faux confidence.

"That isn't a quality you should be proud of."

"And why not?"

He was as prideful of the fact he'd gotten under this shadow's skin as he was pissed it wouldn't give him straight answers. In any case, it seemed to get under the shadow's skin, but he did not hurt Stefano. He simply pulled out the next bit of metal and moved on to the last.

"It could very well get you killed," the shadow answered, pulling away with that final piece.

Stefano only hummed, straining to try and turn his head and see where it was placing the shards. The shadow's grip on his head was too strong, however, and it hurt to try and look. The light clink of the tweezers being set down made him wonder what tool was next. Would it move on from his eye, or would it keep probing.

"Likely, with an eye transplant, he would see again. This is unnecessary, however."

Stefano almost wanted to ask why that was noteworthy, but then he saw the man hold up a tiny sphere. It was black all where it was rounded, but it had a flat edge, as though it has been cut in half. That seemed to be clear; what little light there was in the room bouncing off of it. There was almost comfort in him as the shadow released his head.

"What are you doing?" Stefano asked before he could stop himself.

There was no answer. Instead, the scalpel was back. He squirmed a bit, but then the shadow set down the little glass object, using that hand now to hold his head still again. Stefano wasn't sure what he expected...

"Now, to remove it..."

Carefully, he noticed. The shadow carefully worked the scalpel under Stefano's eye, and popped the injured mess right out. He whimpered again, feeling some phantom nonsense as the cords were cut by the blade in a swift flick.

"Removal of the destroyed eye is complete. "

Setting the damaged eye aside, the shadow now took the marble sized thing carefully in two fingers. It moved it around some, before the rounded side faced down toward Stefano.

"I wonder what you'll do..."

With what? Did he mean if he'd struggle? What the hell was it planning? It found out as the orb came near, and then he heard the squelch of it. Stefano bit his lip, trying to convince himself squirming wasn't worth how much it might hurt if he fucked this up.

"You seem creative enough. It will be interesting to log."

It popped into place, and it pushed blood out past it. More of it traced over the drying line the earlier incision caused. The shadow let go of Stefano's head again, stepping back and taking the tape recorder with it. He half expected pain, but if anything, Stefano was left numbly waiting for his vision to stop churning.

"Blink."

He did. It hurt, like getting soap in his eyes. Stinging and stinging, yet he was seeing.

"How do you feel?"

Stefano really didn't know how to answer that. "Eh?"

"Fine enough. Can you see?"

He hesitated. "Somewhat, yes."

"Good."

The lights in the room were dimming further, and it kicked some life into him again. He pulled at the restraints with all the might he could muster, but it did little more than threaten to cut him on the leather. Before he knew it, all was dark.

It felt like hours before something split the black around him.

"How curious," Stefano commented.

In the darkness was a single light. Cyan, and coming right from whatever now rested on his socket. It was then he noticed he wasn't resting on metal anymore. Stefano sat up slowly, his hand coming to feel around it. Burns were traced around it, but that was nothing new. What was strange was the absence of the blood from just before...

Soon the world around him filled out. A landscape with water covered floors and a light at the end. He stood, almost amazed his suit wasn't wet. Stefano had no idea where he'd been, but he had a feeling he knew where he was going.

It was time for a warm-up piece.

**Author's Note:**

> Wanna scream at me about something? Don't scream into the void! Instead, yell into my inbox on Tumblr. (@wanderlust-novadust)  
> Interested in my my visual art? Check out my Newgrounds (Wanderlust Novadust)  
> Want even my shitty doodles? The stuff I don't consider finished enough for Newgrounds can also be found with my finished shit on my art sideblog (@art-of-the-nomad)


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